This is easily the most commonly asked question we receive, and it’s also one of the hardest to answer. How much should your website cost? The answer, all-too-familiar to those who have studied law, is it depends.
When coming up with an estimate, we look at three things:
- The scope of the site (how large is it?)
- The quality of the design (how complex is it?)
- Bells and whistles (what added functionality do you need?)
What type of work do you need? How large is it?
For us, project scope is the single largest component of a site’s cost. Project scope includes the number of pages in a site (for a static site not running on a content management system – see my last entry) or the number of layouts or templates (for a site that is running on a content management system).
We look at whether our client is asking for a completely new website, a redesign of an existing site, or development (coding) of an existing design.
Brand new sites are typically the most expensive for two reasons:
- A new site has start-up costs, like a domain purchase (about $10 for a year) and a hosting plan (starting at about $60 per year).
- We have no prior site to reference when coming up with a new design and layout.
Number 2 is the biggest reason a new site costs more, since we typically have to do a bit more research. Having an old site to look at is an enormous help for web designers, since clients typically have a good idea about what they don’t like about their old website and what they’d like to add to the new website. Starting from scratch simply requires more groundwork.
Number of pages
The type of work required is only one consideration; number of pages (or templates) is another.
Smaller websites will cost less for the simple reason that there aren’t as many pages to create.
A dynamic site (one running on a content management system) is priced in a slightly different way — on the number of templates, or unique layouts, that are requested.
For example, let’s say you’d like your homepage to have a different look and feel from your other pages:
An example of two unique layouts. The light grey areas represent different sections.
In this example, there are two unique layouts, which requires us to design and code two separate templates. As the number of unique layouts increases, so too does the cost of the website.
It’s also important to note that the largest projects (sites over 20 pages) will require significantly more project management. That includes time spent on the phone and writing emails, as well as drafting other project-related documents.
What kind of design do you want?
Generally speaking, between 30% and 50% of a project’s total cost is devoted to design. For a $5,000 website, that means we bill between $1,500 and $2,500 for a new design, with the remainder going to project management and coding.
The price of a design is determined primarily by its aesthetic complexity. For cost-sensitive clients, we suggest a more minimalist design: one that employs a lot of white space and has a simple layout.
Simple. Note the abundance of white space and the simple, two-column layout.
A more graphically intensive design (one with custom icons, drop shadows, multiple columns, or several unique layouts) will cost more because it takes more time to create.
More advanced. More graphics, three columns, and a greater attention to detail.
Do you need any advanced functionality?
We consider anything that allows a site’s visitors (or owners) to interact with a website to be a dynamic feature. Some of the most commonly requested dynamic features we build are:
- A blog
- A contact form
- E-commerce (a shopping cart)
- A forum
- A content management system
Each of these features adds costs because they require additional work. A blog, for example, requires the installation and configuration of a blogging platform, such as WordPress. A contact form requires some higher level coding to link the form to a database or email address.
Each additional feature is priced separately, according to the work involved. A shopping cart, for example, requires more work to set up than a blog.
Other factors
There are other factors that go into pricing a website, including:
- The designer’s experience. More established designers might not take projects below a certain price point.
- Your budget. Web designers like to know your budget so they can determine the best solution to deliver at your price point.
- Your timeline. From start to finish, the average website takes between 3 and 12 weeks to complete. If you need a site in short order, you may have to pay a premium to get your designer to shift his schedule around to accommodate you.
Conclusion
The cost of a website depends upon a large number of factors, from the experience of the designer to the type of design you want to the number of features you’d like to include. So how much should your website cost? Again, it depends, but here are some ballpark figures:
Small Business or Personal Site ($1,000 to $3,000)
- 5 to 10 pages
- 1 or 2 unique layouts
- A contact form that sends visitor information to an email address
The cost varies because: the complexity of the design is unknown. What type of design do you need to appeal to your target audience?
Medium Business Site ($3,000 to $8,000)
- 10 to 30 pages
- 2 to 4 unique layouts
- Flash banners and stock photos
- Some interactive elements (e.g., a blog or events calendar)
The cost varies because: sites of this size tend to have some dynamic features.
Large Corporate Site ($10,000 to $30,000)
- 30 to 100 or more pages
- Several unique layouts
- Runs on a content management system
- Several interactive elements (blog, events calendar, e-commerce, etc.)
The cost varies because: the design requirements and number of dynamic features can vary greatly. Configuration of the content management system can run the gamut (from out-of-the-box to highly customized), and we may also offer value-added services (professional copywriting or photography). Websites of this size typically need customized database solutions, which require higher-level programming.
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Thanks for posting the article, was certainly a great read!
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